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Emiliano Zapata

Early Grievances

Emiliano Zapata was born in the Mexican region of Morelos to a poor but independent family during the reign of President Porfirio DĂ­az, who ruled the country with an iron fist. The DĂ­az regime was known for greatly favoring the rich at the cost of the poor. During his rule, rich landowners took over vast tracts of land and reduced the people to a system of debt peonage. In his home state, Zapata began speaking out against the abuses and was a community leader by the time he was thirty.

For the next nine years, the Liberation Army of the South remained mobilized, fighting other rebel factions and government forces. Zapata was allied for a while with Venustiano Carranza, but withdrew his support after Carranza seized power. Carranza put a bounty on Zapata, and on April 9, 1919, Zapata was betrayed, ambushed and killed.

The Zapata Legacy

Zapata remains an important figure in Mexico: he is seen by many as the true voice of the Mexican Revolution. Several films have been made about him, and in 1994 a popular revolt in Southern Mexico named itself the Zapatista Army of National Liberation: they believed that Zapataâ€™s work for land and liberty had never come to fruition.